Pay-Per-View Usability Test Results Conducted 3/11-12, 2013 Page 1 Pay-Per-Booking Usability Test...

Pay-Per-View Usability Test ResultsConducted 3/11-12, 2013

Pay-Per-BookingUsability Test Results

Conducted by Jayne SchurickUsability [email protected]

(408)353-1293


Objectives• Determine whether users can complete the sign-up process and understand the next steps

once they’re done.

• Determine how satisfied they are with the overall user experience, specifically complexity and the amount of time it takes.

• Identify usability issues with the sign-up process.

• If they use a competitor for pay-for-booking, how this experience compares.


Test Format and Participants• Remote test using WebEx to allow experts to view and control the computer displaying the

prototype

• Conducted March 11-12, 2013

• 5 owners:

– 4 advertises on HA and VRBO, 1 advertises on VRBO only

– 1 also advertises on Flipkey

– All annual subscribers, not interested in pay-per-booking and don’t use it on competitor sites


General Issues and Comments• The participants tested were all current owners who have a subscription and don’t have a need

for pay-per-booking.

• All had been through HA’s sign-up process, which this process parallels, and so were basically familiar with the steps and flow. HA should really consider conducting a test with owners who are new to the website, and who even need to make a decision between a subscription and pay-per-booking.

• That said, all of the participants understood the use case of a pay-per-booking model, especially for events or infrequent rentals.

• One participant noted (but it’s a very valid point) that the overall flow seems backwards: HA should sell the listing first, and then have users sign up and pay. “I don’t pay before I find a dress.” There might be higher conversion if users expend some energy to create a listing, and then have an opportunity to view their listing and visualize its potential. Right now, they have to pay a lot of money and go on blind faith that it will be worth it.

• As with most (all?) pages on homeaway.com, much of the content doesn’t have sufficient contrast to meet minimum accessibility standards.


Landing Page• Even though this page wasn’t officially part of the

test, there was some feedback that might be useful to Marketing:

– The destination search bar is distracting and not relevant to the purpose of this page.

– “Advertise for free” isn’t accurate; owners still have to pay, it’s just a different model.

• With respect to page design, the links (buttons?, tabs?) don’t stand out; many participants didn’t see them and later on mentioned wanting details about how pay-per-booking works and how much it costs.

• It’s also not clear how these links work – do they function as links and bring up a new page, or do they function as tabs and just change the content in the middle? If they are tabs, it would be helpful if they looked more connected to the content, and disconnected from the form on the right.

• One participant, a UX designer, thought the title “Start your listing today” was premature and unnecessary. She also suggested not showing the map in the picture.


Account Information• One participant noted that “pay-per-booking” was a

new term being introduced after she had been sold on “advertise for free.” These didn’t jive.

• On this and all pages that have help balloons that refer to the entire page or section, the arrow should point to the title (Contact Information, Mailing Address). Some participants thought it was pointing to an individual field.

• It’s not clear that users can quit the process and return later to pick up where they left off. There needs to be a “save” function on every page:

– Place a “Save for later” link between Back and Next.

– Add a “Save” link and rename the button to “Save and Continue.”


Security Questions• The page name/breadcrumb “Security Questions”

doesn’t encompass creating a password. There were several suggestions:

– Include password creation on the previous page, “Account Information.”

– Include both password creation and the security questions on the “Account Information” page, and eliminate the page/step entirely.

– Rename this page to “Password and Security” or just “Security.”


Listing Builder Hub Step 1• Participants understood this page and that they

returned to it after completing each section (hub and spoke).

• Most participants felt that they did not need to see a list of what they would need to create their listing (photos and banking information (which is actually mentioned in step 2)).

• Most participants did not know that they could leave the process and come back at a later time to finish. In addition to making this explicit on each page, there needs to be a distinction on the hub about which steps are complete and available to edit vs. which have missing required content. For example, users shouldn’t have to guess which sections they need to edit in order to complete their listing. (Or will these sections be shown with a “Setup” button?)

• If users leave the process with missing data in steps 1, 2 and 4, will steps 2 and 4 be grayed out (but not step 3) so that the working order is preserved? What if, upon returning, they want to work on step 2 but not step 1? Will they have to walk through that first?


Listing Basics• No issues.


Listing Basics• Participants understood how to edit their address and

advertising region, although one was concerned about allowing owners to choose their advertising region, saying some owners in her area select a more desirable region and advertise a less expensive home, which devalues the homes that are actually in that region.


Listing Basics• Participants liked seeing the number of characters

available for their description. They would also like it for the headline.

• It seems that the headline field could be expanded to accommodate the length of the headline.


Listing Basics• No issues. The only suggestion made by a couple of

participants was to offer a way to reduce the size of photos that are too big.


Listing Builder Hub Step 2• After completing step 2, one participant noted that

it’s not really about booking guests, it’s about guest payments.

• At about this point in the process, participants were starting to ask about the details of the program and how much it costs. It seems that making this information available would help to keep them on this page.


Booking Guests• No issues.


Listing Builder Hub Step 3• At some point in the process, participants realized

that there’s not an option to see the listing they are creating as guests would see it. This would be extremely helpful by allowing users to visualize their listing and where they can make improvements.


Rates & Fees• When asked what the most challenging step was in

the entire process, no one mentioned setting up rates. However, this appeared to present the most usability challenges of all.

• First, it appeared that many users would simply enter their event name into the “season name” text box. Most participants had to be coached to open the drop-down and select “Event pricing.” Once they did that, adding the rate was pretty clear.

• One participant noted that guests might want to add days onto the beginning or end of the event to enjoy other activities in the area, and it this would take advance thought and planning to create this. Do you set up additional events, or do you set a standard price and leave the dates negotiable?


Rates & Fees• This message looks like the user made an error (and

depending on the viewing angle, reinforced by a pink background). The problem is that users should be told up front that they need to cover all dates, not finish the task they set out to do and then discover there’s more. (An analogy is entering a password and then finding out that it needs to be 8 characters with one number and a special character.)

• The only choices are to add standard pricing or block the dates, but conceivably users might want to add seasonal pricing or additional events.


Listing Builder Hub Step 4• How would users edit their banking information in

step 2?


Policies• Participants noted that 5 days is not an appropriate

“moderate” cancellation policy. (This might just be a prototype issue.)

• Several participants wanted to specify their own cancellation policy. “Why should I have to choose one set by HomeAway? It’s just data in a database.”


Listing Builder Hub• No issues.


Tour• No issues….well, one participant questioned the

header font.


RecommendationsAll pages

• If balloon help refers to the entire page or section, point the arrow at the page or section title. Alternatively remove the arrow; don’t point at anything.

• Add functionality to indicate that users can save their work and come back at a later time to finish.

• Add functionality to allow users to view their listing as it is being created.

Landing page

• Remove the destination search bar.

• Provider appropriate and accurate message (e.g., advertising isn’t free). If this model is referred to as pay-per-booking on other pages, introduce that term here.

• Provide some dimensionality and/or design to make the links (Overview, What It Costs, etc.) stand out and look more clickable.

• Design the page to use headings and color to focus the user on the most important messages and call-to-action (the form). Currently there are too many things calling for attention.


RecommendationsSecurity Questions

• Rename the page to “Security” or consider making password creation and the security questions part of the Account Information step.

Hub

• Indicate which steps are complete and available for editing vs. which have missing required information.

• Plan for what is grayed out if users quit and then return to complete their listing. Ideally they shouldn’t have to walk through incomplete steps in order to work on another step. On the other hand, the presentation of the page on initial and subsequent visits should be consistent. (Perhaps steps that have been visited and saved, plus the next logical step are not gray???)

• Offer prominent links to program details and what it costs.

• Rename “Booking Guests” to “Guest Payments.”

Listing Basics

• Expand the headline text box to accommodate all characters.

• Indicate the number of characters remaining for the headline.


RecommendationsRates & Fees

• While this was the most challenging step, there are no recommendations because this flow is being tested in more detail.

Policies

• Allow users to specify their own cancellation policy.

Finally…

• In a larger design and usability effort, examine the overall flow of setting up an account and paying before creating a listing.

• As part of a much larger effort, examine contrast and other barriers to accessibility on all HA websites and pages.

Pay-Per-View Usability Test Results Conducted 3/11-12, 2013 Page 1 Pay-Per-Booking Usability Test...

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